Chapter 157: Implant
Chapter 157: Implant
In a secluded alley, a large spider with robust legs and a well-proportioned body crawled swiftly ahead, its mottled body blending into the surroundings. Occasionally, it paused, as if vigilant of its surroundings, before resuming its agile movements.
Chen Chuan followed calmly from behind.
This creature, a Taryana spider, was specifically bred as a biological combat weapon for surprise attacks and assassinations. As such, it was highly sensitive to scents. The crossbow arrow and paper note left behind carried the scent of its owner, allowing the spider to track it.
However, the spider wasn't moving at full speed. To do so would require a significant amount of energy, and currently, it was running on the remaining energy from its last awakening.
Since it hadn't been deployed for a combat mission, there was plenty of energy left. Even if Chen Chuan didn't use it, the energy would slowly deplete while it was stationary, and it would remain restless. It was better to utilize it now and let it enter a true state of dormancy afterward.
Soon, they arrived at a building, where the Taryana spider stopped and circled around.
Chen Chuan didn't bother with any reconnaissance; he walked straight up to the door, listened for a moment, and finding no signs of activity inside, gently pressed his hand against the door. The lock clicked open, and he stepped inside.
As expected, the person who had been staying there was gone, and some kind of liquid had been sprayed around, likely a scent remover.
This was probably just a temporary hideout. The dust on the table and the disarray of items suggested that more than one person had been living here, and they had left in a hurry, as evidenced by the leftover food.
Had they anticipated someone following them and decided to leave early?
Chen Chuan clapped his hands twice, and the spider circled back and crawled outside. He followed, soon reaching the end of the alley, where the spider stopped at a spot with clear tire tracks.
Looking in the direction of the road, he realized that the group had likely escaped by car and was probably picked up by someone. There was no point in pursuing them further.
He would have someone investigate the residence later to see if there were any leads. If they couldn't find anything, it wasn't a problem. If these people were involved in this matter again, they would eventually resurface.
Chen Chuan set down his briefcase, curled his fingers, and tapped his knuckles twice. The combat spider obediently crawled back and entered the inner compartment of the briefcase, soon becoming still.
At that moment, a delivery truck was driving on the highway. Inside the cargo hold, a group of young people sat, including a man in his forties with a curled mustache.
The cargo hold was stuffy, and they couldn't see outside. Xin Ge couldn't help but ask the man, "Mr. Ling, do we really need to be in such a hurry?"
Mr. Ling replied affirmatively, "Yes, you shouldn't have provoked that expert."
"Isn't he just a haunting tale expert?" another young man interjected.
Mr. Ling said, "That expert has some connections with the police. If they were attacked today, the police would conduct inspections on their way back. You've been staying there for several days, and Su Xin, you passed through many places on your way back. Can you guarantee that you didn't leave any traces at all?"
He hugged himself, "It would be easy to find you."
Su Xin asked, "Will they be able to trace us through the clues?"
Mr. Ling reassured them, "Don't worry. Once you move, you'll be safe. That house is a long-term vacant property we use, and the owner has nothing to do with us. They won't be able to find you."
"Is that expert so troublesome?" The young man on the side hummed in dissatisfaction, looking at Su Xin with resentment. "Xin Ge, if we had known, we should have gotten rid of him."
Mr. Ling shook his head, "That would have caused an even bigger scene, and you might not have been able to get rid of him. He's a student at the Wu Yi Academy, and his skills are extraordinary."
"Yes, he caught my arrow with his bare hands."
Su Xin's face also showed seriousness. Although he hadn't intended to shoot anyone, his arrow was caught before it even reached its target. That kind of reactive strength was astonishing to think about. If the other party hadn't been in the car, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape.
"A student from Wu Yi Academy..."
Upon hearing this, the young people felt a mix of awe and admiration, followed by resentment. If it weren't for the Bloodstain Gang, they might have had the chance to study at Wu Yi too.
The delivery truck drove straight out of the city and into the wilderness. By midnight, they reached a campsite in the desert, which was clearly a base for a smuggling gang.
As Mr. Ling led the group into a large tent, the people inside stared at them with cold, indifferent eyes, as if they were inspecting goods. The young people felt extremely uncomfortable under their gaze.
Mr. Ling brought them to a large shelf at the front and gestured, "The weapons you want are here."
"What's inside?"
The young people had expected to see powerful firearms, but instead, they saw several sealed boxes that didn't appear to contain explosives, which puzzled them.
Mr. Ling smiled and opened one of the boxes, revealing the contents. The young people were taken aback by what they saw, "What is this?"
Inside the box was something resembling a silkworm cocoon, with several limbs extending from it, seemingly alive and slightly wriggling. It was an unsettling sight.
If Chen Chuan and the others were there, they would have noticed the resemblance to what they had found in the desert previously. However, there were more than just the one they had seen; several others were arranged around it.
One of the young people seemed to have an epiphany and blurted out, "A bio-implant?"
Mr. Ling smiled, "Yes, it's a new type of implant from the Hunting Series. It's a deadly weapon. Who among you is willing to get it implanted?"
The camp had an implant surgeon, and now they could perform the surgery for him. With this, he would possess combat prowess comparable to a fighter.
Su Xin stepped forward and said, "I'll do it..." But before he could finish, the young man who had argued with him earlier suddenly interrupted, "I'll do it!"
"You..." Su Xin glanced at him, hesitated, "Xiao Xiao, are you sure?"
Xiao Xiao replied, "I'm sure, Brother Xin. You're skilled with the crossbow, and with this close-combat implant, it would be a waste of your talent. I think it's better if I do it. That way, we'll have two combat-ready members in the team. Plus, I'm in better shape than you, and I've been learning martial arts since I was young. I should be able to master this."
Seeing Su Xin's hesitation, Xiao Xiao took a step forward and said, "Brother Xin, let me do it. I can handle it."
Seeing his persistence and the logic in his words, Su Xin finally agreed, "Alright, Xiao Xiao, I'll leave it to you. But you must consider that after the implantation, you might have to rely on medication from now on."
Xiao Xiao only hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly and saying, "I'm ready!"
His eyes flashed with determination. In this world, without strength, one couldn't protect themselves, let alone their loved ones.
But with strength, what couldn't be accomplished?
Mr. Ling said, "There's no need to worry. Although you'll need anti-mutation drugs, I can provide an initial batch. Besides, the Bloodstain Gang has plenty of them. They rose to power by trafficking in banned substances. I'll give you information, and when you rob them, you can also use the seized drugs. It's a win-win situation, right?"
"Exactly!"
Xiao Xiao couldn't wait and said, "Mr. Ling, please ask the doctor to come and implant these bio-implants now. I'm ready!"
Mr. Ling smiled and said, "Wait a moment."
He walked out and found a man in his thirties wearing a white lab coat in another tent. He told him, "We've found a test subject. Perform the implantation surgery now."
"Is it voluntary?"
"Yes, it's voluntary."
The implant surgeon said, "With voluntary subjects, there's less emotional turmoil, increasing the chances of survival. This way, we can implant up to thirty percent of the bio-implants."
"Only thirty percent?"
The surgeon explained, "For a fighter, thirty percent is low, but for an ordinary person, thirty percent is the maximum limit. Any more would be fatal."
"How long can thirty percent last?"
"It depends on his luck. With good luck, it could last a year or two. With bad luck, maybe two or three months. This model hasn't been tested many times, so it's an estimate."
"Two or three months? That's enough!" Mr. Ling said, "Go ahead with the surgery. The subject is in that tent."
"I'll prepare and be there soon."
After a while, the implant surgeon emerged carrying a surgical tool kit. Led by Mr. Ling, he entered the large tent, and many young people exited from within.
Xiao Xiao, after being thoroughly cleansed with a medicinal solution, was sent to a private compartment inside the tent. His limbs were secured with metal straps, and the implant surgeon, wearing a mask, entered and put on gloves.
Xiao Xiao lay there, feeling nervous. "Doctor, will it be successful?"
The doctor glanced at him, walked over, and inserted a thin tube into his nasal cavity. Xiao Xiao said, "Doctor, I feel a bit itchy."
The doctor remained silent, watching him. After a while, Xiao Xiao twitched a few times, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
The doctor pulled a curtain, similar to a shower curtain, and it descended, spraying various pre-mixed medicinal solutions.
In Central City, a matching implantation surgery room would be required, but here in the wilderness, such conditions were unavailable. Besides, this was just an experimental subject, not a regular big client, so there was no need for such meticulousness.
He carefully removed the still-active bio-implants from the box and placed them aside. Then, he moved to the front and picked up a surgical knife, making an incision in Xiao Xiao's back.
Outside the tent, the group of young people waited through the night. Some couldn't resist falling asleep. In the morning, they heard the sound of the tent curtain being lifted and footsteps exiting the tent. They woke up in a hurry and looked closely, only to be shocked by what they saw.
Xiao Xiao emerged, his hair completely shaved, eyes deeply sunken, and his body emaciated, with skin tightly stretched over bones and muscles as if all moisture and fat had been drained. At the collar, a section of the neck was exposed, revealing the grayish-black implant tissue embedded there.
Su Xin, seeing his condition, was extremely worried. He turned to the implant surgeon who had come out with Xiao Xiao and asked, "Why does he look like this? How did he become like this?"
The surgeon replied in a calm tone, "It's normal consumption during the implantation surgery. Just administer two shots of nutritional agents later, and he'll be fine."
"Don't worry, I feel better than ever!" Xiao Xiao glanced at his companion and took a sharpened steel pipe from his hand. With a slight exertion of force, he bent the metal pipe.
Mr. Ling, appearing from somewhere, smiled and said, "It seems you're adapting well. The Hunter type doesn't emphasize strength, but it requires sufficient tissue strength to support speed.
Tomorrow, there's the second stage: a defensive membrane matched with the Hunter type, capable of repelling ordinary small-caliber bullets. The day after that, we'll perform sensory enhancement procedures."
Xiao Xiao grinned and spread his arms, full of confidence. "I can already hear my enemies' screams. After I complete the implantation surgery, I'll go and eliminate those foes, including that so-called expert. If they dare to interfere with us, they'll get the same treatment!"
...
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(End of Chapter)
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